Colombia’s war crimes tribunal hears notorious former war...
Colombia’s GDP and GNI
Panama arrests US citizen suspected in Colombia of...
Colombia seeking mastermind behind Paraguay prosecutor kill plot
Colombia’s government and ELN rebels overcome “crisis” in...
Bogota
Crime and security in Bogota
Colombia recalls ambassador from Guatemala over corruption probe...
Colombia’s FARC dissidents captured 5 soldiers during ceasefire:...
Colombia spied on diplomats from Russia and Cuba:...
  • About
  • Support
  • Newsletter
  • Contact
Colombia News | Colombia Reports
  • News
    • General
    • Analysis
    • War and peace
    • Elections
    • Economy
    • Culture
    • Sports
    • Science and Tech
  • Travel
    • General
    • Bogota
    • Medellin
    • Cali
    • Cartagena
    • Antioquia
    • Caribbean
    • Pacific
    • Coffee region
    • Amazon
    • Southwest Colombia
    • Northeast Colombia
    • Central Colombia
  • Data
    • Economy
    • Crime and security
    • War and peace
    • Development
    • Cities
    • Regions
    • Provinces
  • Profiles
    • Organized crime
    • Politics
    • Armed conflict
    • Economy
    • Sports
  • Lite
  • Opinion
Farmers' representative Velma Echavarria. (Screenshot: YouTube)
News

Colombia’s farmers claim government lifting import tariffs puts domestic food production at risk

by Adriaan Alsema May 12, 2020

Colombia’s farmers’ organizations said Monday that an emergency decree lifting import tariffs on corn and soy is threatening domestic food production.

The organizations called on the State Council to declare the Trade Ministry’s Decree 523, which removed the import tariffs for at least three month, unconstitutional.

Trade Minister Jose Manuel Restrepo issued this decree last month in response to the coronavirus, but without the compulsory signatures of the president and much of the cabinet.

According to farmers’ spokeswoman Velma Echavarria, the decree “finishes off  domestic food production and deepens the food crisis of rural communities.”

According to the organizations, some 390,000 households depend on the production of these basic food products and could be run out of business by the import of subsidized agricultural produce.

The farmers want the government to come with measures that would strengthen domestic food production instead of favor foreign agricultural firms.

According to German Velez, the director of the Seed Group Corporation, Colombia was already importing 60% of its food.

Further stimulating the import of basic food products would further deepen the crisis of Colombian farmers who were already struggling to compete with often subsidized agricultural imports, particularly from the United States, according to the farmers’ representative.

“Imports increased significantly after the Free Trade Agreement with the United States, bringing in raw materials at low costs making national agriculture nonviable,” Velez told Contagio Radio.

The government, instead of making regressive rules that benefit only a few powerful sectors, must strengthen and support peasant, local and community agriculture.

Seed Group Corporation director German Velez

According to Senator Feliciano Valencia, an indigenous leader, the decree “threatens food sovereignty and the seeds that indigenous people, peasants and communities of African descent have conserved and protected for years.”

The organizations appealed the decree before the State Council, hoping the administrative court will declare it null and void.

Velez reminded that temporary emergency decrees like the one the farmers are appealing became permanent more than once in the past.

agriculturecoronavirusimports

Trending

  • Colombia’s government and ELN rebels overcome “crisis” in peace talks

  • Colombia seeking mastermind behind Paraguay prosecutor kill plot

For patrons

Downloads for patrons

Related articles

  • UN to monitor indigenous rights and land reform in Colombia

  • Foreign trade

  • Colombia to buy 3M hectares of arable land for rural reform

  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Rss

@2008-2019 - Colombia Reports. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by Digitale Zaken and Parrolabs


Back To Top
Colombia News | Colombia Reports
  • News
    • General
    • Analysis
    • War and peace
    • Elections
    • Economy
    • Culture
    • Sports
    • Science and Tech
  • Travel
    • General
    • Bogota
    • Medellin
    • Cali
    • Cartagena
    • Antioquia
    • Caribbean
    • Pacific
    • Coffee region
    • Amazon
    • Southwest Colombia
    • Northeast Colombia
    • Central Colombia
  • Data
    • Economy
    • Crime and security
    • War and peace
    • Development
    • Cities
    • Regions
    • Provinces
  • Profiles
    • Organized crime
    • Politics
    • Armed conflict
    • Economy
    • Sports
  • Lite
  • Opinion